Christmas came yesterday. Or at least we picked it up from the UPS store, much to their relief. Maybe next time I won’t order all my stuff and then leave town for a week. But now it’s all there, in cardboard boxes on Syd’s bed where company wouldn’t see it, waiting for me to deal with the packing material, waiting for me to wrap and label. I’m excited.

It may seem like it is ridiculously early to be shopping for Christmas. Thanksgiving is not until next week. But I hate the process of slogging through crowded stores full of items that don’t seem right for anyone on my list.

I love catalogs because there is all the glossy perfection and none of the pushing and shoving. I don’t even have to park! The people at Lego love me. All the things I’ve considered in the toy catalogs all year for the people on my list who need toys, which is pretty much all of them, become imbued with potential: I might get to buy them and see the face of that special person opening the package.

By doing all this early, I maximize my time enjoying the process. Hooray for Christmas!